To Start The Louvre...

I got out of class at 12:15 on Thursday, with no real plans for the afternoon. I figured it was the best time I would have to start the Louvre. And when I say start, I mean seriously start from one corner, and start working my way around. The Louvre is incredibly huge. You can wander around for hours and realize that you've only seen maybe a fifth of it.

I collected a few friends and we went to the Jardin de Tuileries to eat our lunches. To save money I've been packing a lunch from home to bring to eat at school, so as I sat in the garden with my PB&J (peanut butter is impossible to find here, buy my Mom brought me some Skippy from the States, it's never tasted so good) I took in the incredible fall day. The garden at Tuileries is an ideal rest stop for tourists because it is right across from the Seine, and an easy walking distance from the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre.

After eating I headed into the Louvre. Before entering the museum proper I went to a small office to get a student card. The University of Chicago presented us with Art History Student Cards, which allows us into all Art museums (and most castles) for free. The Louvre required us to get their card (still free). It took longer than I'd hoped (30 minutes maybe), but I got my Louvre photo ID. Now I can enter and exit at will, it's great.

I started the Louvre with the early French and Northern European sculptures. Naturally they were gorgeous, and it was interesting to note that almost every single one of them had some sort of Christian theme. Afterwards I went up a level, and did the Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. I saw the famous statue of Venus de Milo, and situated atop a staircase, Winged Victory. They were exquisitely done. I really enjoyed the Greek and Roman statues. Most were of people, and the worksmanship is incredible. I can't imagine what it would be like to create something so beautiful out of stone. The time that goes into that must be enormous.

A lot of the time I spent at the Louvre, I realized later, I spent looking not at the art, but at the palace itself. The Louvre was the royal home of an incredible number of French kings, and the grandeur is incredible. It also helps that it is immaculately upkeep by the French government. There was marble everywhere, painted ceilings, gold trimmings. Some rooms had gorgeous stone columns, others were painted in rich colors. It was breathtaking.

I ended by running up quickly to see the Mona Lisa. Only because you have to, and I was already nearby. I figured I'd get it out of the way, so that the next time I head up to the Grand Gallery I don't have to worry about pushing through the crowds, and I can admire everything else. The unfortunate thing about seeing the Mona Lisa is that because it is so popular, it is on total lockdown. You can't get within 20 feet of it, and its guarded by bullet proof glass. It takes away from the image completely. You can't inspect Da Vinci's brushstrokes. And yeah, people say it looks small, but thats only because it is so far away.

I left feeling like I'd accomplished somthing. I had checked off maybe 1/20 of the rooms on the map. But I'd only spent an hour and a half. I figure on days when I have the afternoon off I can head over and conquer a couple exhibits. I've got until mid-March.

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